﻿BLACKBIRDS 
  AND 
  MEADOW 
  LARKS. 
  11 
  

  

  The 
  Bullock 
  oriole 
  is 
  abundant 
  in 
  western 
  Texas, 
  but 
  is 
  not 
  found 
  

   much 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  of 
  the 
  longitude 
  of 
  Corpus 
  Christi. 
  It 
  is 
  abun- 
  

   dant 
  at 
  Beeville 
  and 
  Runge, 
  but 
  is 
  very 
  rare 
  at 
  Cuero. 
  Of 
  the 
  144 
  

   specimens 
  examined, 
  39, 
  or 
  about 
  27 
  percent, 
  had 
  eaten 
  weevils; 
  the 
  

   total 
  number 
  of 
  weevils 
  eaten 
  was 
  131, 
  which 
  is 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  more 
  

   than 
  3 
  to 
  a 
  bird, 
  or 
  91 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  birds 
  examined. 
  

  

  All 
  three 
  species 
  of 
  orioles 
  are 
  migratory 
  and 
  spend 
  only 
  the 
  spring 
  

   and 
  summer 
  months 
  in 
  Texas. 
  They 
  usually 
  arrive 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  

   between 
  the 
  10th 
  and 
  20th 
  of 
  April 
  and 
  depart 
  late 
  in 
  September. 
  

   It 
  is 
  unfortunate 
  for 
  the 
  cotton 
  growers 
  that 
  these 
  useful 
  birds 
  do 
  not 
  

   remain 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  throughout 
  the 
  year, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  likewise 
  unfortunate 
  

   that 
  over 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  cotton 
  belt 
  only 
  one 
  species, 
  and 
  that 
  

   the 
  smallest, 
  is 
  regularly 
  found. 
  

  

  BLACKBIRDS 
  AND 
  MEADOW 
  LARKS. 
  

  

  The 
  blackbirds 
  and 
  meadow 
  larks, 
  which 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  family 
  

   as 
  the 
  orioles 
  {Icteridx) 
  , 
  seem 
  to 
  occupy 
  a 
  position 
  complementary 
  to 
  

   that 
  of 
  the 
  orioles 
  as 
  boll 
  weevil 
  destroyers— 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  they 
  con- 
  

   tinue 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  the 
  good 
  work 
  which 
  the 
  orioles 
  do 
  in 
  the 
  

   summer. 
  Nine 
  species 
  of 
  this 
  group 
  occur 
  abundantty 
  in 
  Texas 
  in 
  

   winter, 
  and 
  six 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  eat 
  the 
  boll 
  weevil. 
  

  

  The 
  meadow 
  larks 
  are 
  represented 
  by 
  several 
  slightly 
  different 
  forms 
  

   or 
  species, 
  but 
  since 
  the 
  food 
  habits 
  of 
  all 
  are 
  practically 
  identical 
  they 
  

   may 
  be 
  considered 
  together. 
  Two 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty-seven 
  specimens 
  

   have 
  been 
  examined, 
  and 
  of 
  these, 
  40, 
  or 
  15 
  percent, 
  had 
  eaten 
  boll 
  

   weevils, 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  weevils 
  eaten 
  being 
  50. 
  Examination 
  

   of 
  the 
  records 
  of 
  the 
  larks 
  collected 
  by 
  Bailey 
  in 
  November 
  and 
  

   December 
  discloses 
  an 
  interesting 
  fact, 
  namely, 
  that 
  about 
  as 
  many 
  

   weevils 
  were 
  taken 
  by 
  them 
  before 
  the 
  first 
  hard 
  frost 
  as 
  after 
  the 
  

   frost. 
  This 
  shows 
  that 
  the 
  larks 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  weevils 
  while 
  they 
  

   are 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  cotton 
  plants 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  while 
  they 
  are 
  hibernating, 
  

   and 
  indicates 
  that 
  wherever 
  the 
  larks 
  occur 
  in 
  summer 
  in 
  the 
  cotton 
  

   belt 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  depended 
  on 
  to 
  assist 
  in 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  weevils. 
  

   The 
  greater 
  portion 
  of 
  central 
  and 
  southern 
  Texas 
  is, 
  however, 
  

   deserted 
  by 
  the 
  larks 
  during 
  the 
  breeding 
  season 
  and 
  until 
  the 
  middle 
  

   or 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  October. 
  None 
  were 
  seen 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  at 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  

   localities 
  visited 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1905, 
  except 
  on 
  the 
  prairies 
  between 
  

   Richmond 
  and 
  Columbus. 
  

  

  Four 
  species 
  of 
  blackbirds 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  consume 
  boll 
  weevils, 
  the 
  

   most 
  important 
  of 
  which 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  Brewer 
  blackbird 
  {EupJiagus 
  

   cyanocepJialus) 
  . 
  Ten 
  stomachs 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  were 
  examined 
  by 
  assist- 
  

   ants 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Entomology, 
  and 
  frve 
  of 
  them 
  contained 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  

   11 
  boll 
  weevils. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  species 
  collected 
  in 
  winter 
  in 
  which 
  

   the 
  number 
  of 
  weevils 
  eaten 
  averages 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  to 
  a 
  bird, 
  and 
  

   if 
  further 
  investigations 
  show 
  this 
  ratio 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  rule 
  these 
  blackbirds 
  

  

  